"What we see with the most popular or powerful brands is that brand lasts a lot longer, is more robust and doesn't tend to slip as much, whereas the finances go up and down," says global BrandZ director Peter Walshe.

"Even though there was a nasty recession and even strong brands were losing share price value at that point, these brands didn't lose as much and recovered a lot quicker. Brands are worth investing in, they're worth looking after because they give you a much better return."

So, who made the top of the list then?

Unsurprisingly, Apple still remain on top with a brand value of $185,071 million. Google comes next around $70,000 m less with a brand value of $113,669 million and IBM following close behind with $112,536 million.